Can economics help us understand why the Irish Famine was so severe? What explains Ireland’s long economic boom of the eighteenth century? Why did the North and South develop differently? Is Ireland ‘rich’?

CEPH is delighted to announce the launch of a new free online course, The Development of the Irish Economy, which will answer those and other questions about Ireland’s unlikely path to economic development. The course explores how various pressures and policies have shaped the development of the Irish economy over the last three centuries, highlighting the different external and internal forces that influence the Irish economy, the role played by policy, and the successes and failures across over three centuries of history.

The course comprises eight sessions over two months. Core material, taught by Ronan Lyons, is complemented by guest videos from a dozen Irish economic historians, based north and south, who summarise cutting-edge research relevant to the topic.

This course is completely free and represents a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about how Ireland developed into the economy it is today. This course is suitable for professionals who wish to understand why Ireland is the way it is, and the policy decisions that brought it here.

If you’d like to participate this October or in subsequent offerings of the course, or if you know of anyone who might be interested, please feel free to contact us at cephoutreach@tcd.ie.